At a Glance

Why Get Tested?

To help diagnose celiac disease and to evaluate the effectiveness of a gluten-free diet

When to Get Tested?

When you have symptoms suggesting celiac disease, such as chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, anemia, and weight loss; when an infant is chronically irritable or fails to grow at a normal rate; when a close family member has celiac disease; when you are being treated for celiac disease

Sample Required?

A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm

Test Preparation Needed?

Follow your health practitioner's instructions; for diagnosis, you should continue to eat foods that contain gluten for a time period, such as several weeks, prior to testing; for monitoring, no preparation is necessary.

The Test Sample

What is being tested?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder characterized by an inappropriate immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, and related dietary proteins in rye and barley. Celiac disease antibody tests are a group of assays developed to help diagnose and monitor the disease and a few other gluten-sensitive conditions. These tests detect autoantibodies in the blood that the body produces as part of the immune response.

This immune response leads to inflammation of the small intestine and to damage and destruction of the villi that line the intestinal wall. The villi are projections, small tissue folds that increase the surface area of the intestine and allow nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fluids, and electrolytes to be absorbed into the body. When a susceptible person is exposed to gluten, the person's body produces autoantibodies that act against constituents of the intestinal villi. When villi are damaged or destroyed, the body is much less capable of absorbing food and begins to develop symptoms associated with malnutrition and malabsorption.

In the past, the only way to diagnose celiac disease was by examination of a tissue biopsy of the small intestine. While this microscopic evaluation is still considered the gold standard and is still used to confirm a diagnosis, the availability of less invasive blood tests to screen for celiac disease has reduced the number of biopsies needed.

Celiac disease blood tests measure the amount of particular autoantibodies in the blood. Tests that detect the IgA class (immunoglobulin A) and IgG class (immunoglobulin G) of the autoantibodies are available, but the types that measure IgA are more specific and are used almost exclusively. IgG and IgA are two of five classes of antibody proteins that the immune system produces in response to a perceived threat. IgA is the primary antibody present in gastrointestinal secretions.

IgG autoantibody tests may be ordered if a person has a deficiency in IgA. This happens about 2-3% of the time in people with celiac disease and can lead to false-negative test results.

Common tests for celiac disease include:

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody (anti-tTG), IgA: detects antibodies to tissue transglutaminase, an enzyme that causes the crosslinking of certain proteins. Anti-tTG, IgA is the most sensitive and specific blood test for celiac disease. The IgG class of anti-tTG may be ordered for people who have a deficiency of IgA.

Another article, Follow That Sample, provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture.

Is any test preparation needed to ensure the quality of the sample?

Follow your health practitioner's instructions. For diagnosis, an individual should continue to eat foods that contain gluten for a time period, such as several weeks, prior to testing. For monitoring someone who has already been diagnosed, no preparation is necessary.

The Test

How is it used?

Celiac disease antibody tests are primarily used to help diagnose and monitor celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder caused by an inappropriate immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, and related dietary proteins in rye and barley. Celiac tests are usually ordered for people with symptoms suggesting celiac disease, including anemia and abdominal pain.

Sometimes celiac testing may be used to screen for asymptomatic celiac disease in those who have close relatives with the disease since about 4-12% of them have or will develop celiac disease. Testing may also be ordered in those who have other autoimmune diseases.

Celiac disease blood tests measure the amount of particular antibodies in the blood. The most common tests include:

Tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG), IgA class — the primary test ordered to screen for celiac disease. It is the most sensitive and specific blood test for celiac disease and is the single test preferred by the American College of Gastroenterology, according to its 2013 guidelines, as well as the American Gastroenterology Association for the detection of celiac disease in those over the age of 2 years. The IgG class of anti-tTG may be ordered as an alternative in those who have a deficiency of IgA. If the anti-tTG, IgA or IgG test is positive, then the test can also be used to monitor a person with celiac disease and to help evaluate the effectiveness of treatment; antibody levels should fall when gluten is removed from the diet. Although "tissue" is in the name of these tests, they are measured in the blood.

Quantitative immunoglobulin A (IgA) test — ordered along with, prior to, or following an anti-tTG test to detect IgA deficiency, which occurs about 2-3% of the time in people with celiac disease and can lead to false-negative test results. If a person has an IgA deficiency, then a test to detect the IgG class of autoantibodies may be ordered.

Deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) antibodies (anti-DGP), IgA or IgG — may be positive in some people with celiac disease who are negative for anti-tTG, especially children less than 2 years old. It may sometimes be ordered with or following an anti-tTG test, especially if anti-tTG is negative. DGP IgG testing along with anti-tTG IgG is recommended by the American College of Gastroenterology for people who have low IgA or IgA deficiency. If the anti-DGP test is positive, it may be used to monitor celiac disease.

Test that are used less often include:

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) -— antibodies developed in reaction to the ongoing damage to the intestinal lining; it has been found that tTg is the substance detected in this test. Almost 100% of people with active celiac disease and 70% of those with dermatitis herpetiformis (another gluten-sensitive condition that causes an itchy, burning, blistering rash on the skin) will have the IgA class of anti-EMA antibodies. The test is more difficult to do and interpret properly than anti-tTg so it is used less often.

Anti-reticulin antibody (ARA) test — not as specific or sensitive as the other autoantibodies; it is found in about 60% of people with celiac disease and about 25% of those with dermatitis herpetiformis; it is rarely ordered.

To confirm a diagnosis of celiac disease, a biopsy of the small intestine is examined to detect damage to the intestinal villi. However, given the invasive nature and cost of a biopsy, antibody tests are often used to identify those individuals with high probability of having celiac disease. (For general information on biopsies, see the article on Histopathology.)

Other tests may be ordered to help determine the severity of the disease and the extent of the complications a person may experience, such as malnutrition, malabsorption, and the involvement of other organs. Tests may include:

Anti-F-actin — may sometimes be ordered if a person has been diagnosed with celiac disease and a health practitioner wants to evaluate the severity of intestinal damage; a positive result may indicate increased intestinal damage.

When is it ordered?

Celiac disease tests are ordered when someone has signs and symptoms suggesting celiac disease, malnutrition, and/or malabsorption. The symptoms are often nonspecific and variable, making the disease difficult to spot. The symptoms may, for a time, be mild and go unnoticed and then progressively worsen or occur sporadically. The condition can affect different parts of the body.

In children, celiac disease tests may be ordered when a child exhibits:

Gastrointestinal symptoms

Delayed development

Short stature

Failure to thrive

Many people with celiac disease have dermatitis herpetiformis, a disease that causes itchy blisters on the skin. There is also an increased risk for developing osteoporosis and intestinal lymphoma, a form of cancer.

One or more antibody tests may be ordered when someone with celiac disease has been on a gluten-free diet for a period of time. This is done to verify that antibody levels have decreased and to verify that the diet has been effective in reversing the intestinal lining damage (this is sometimes still confirmed with a second biopsy).

Asymptomatic people may be tested if they have a close relative such as a parent or sibling with celiac disease, but celiac disease testing is not recommended at this time as a screen for the general population.

Possible celiac disease (false negative anti-tTG, IgA and anti-DGP, IgA are due to total IgA deficiency)

Negative

Normal

Negative

Positive

Positive (or not performed)

Possible celiac disease (may be seen in children less than 3 years old)

All positive and indeterminate celiac disease tests are typically followed by an intestinal biopsy. A biopsy is used to make a definitive diagnosis of celiac disease.

If someone has been diagnosed with celiac disease and eliminates gluten from his or her diet, then the autoantibody levels should fall. If they do not fall and the symptoms do not diminish, then there may either be hidden forms of gluten in the diet that have not been eliminated (gluten is often found in unexpected places, from salad dressings to cough syrup to the adhesive used on envelopes) or the person may have one of the rare forms of celiac disease that does not respond to dietary changes. When celiac disease tests are used to monitor progress, rising levels of autoantibodies indicate some form of noncompliance with a gluten-free diet.

If the person being tested has not consumed any gluten for several weeks to months prior to testing, then celiac disease tests may be negative. If the health practitioner still suspects celiac disease, he or she may do a gluten challenge – have the person introduce gluten into his or her diet for several weeks or months to see if the symptoms return. At that time, celiac disease tests may be repeated or a biopsy may be done to check for damage to the villi in the intestine.

Is there anything else I should know?

Historically, a test for anti-gliadin antibody (AGA) was used in the evaluation of celiac disease. The 2013 American College of Gastroenterology guidelines recommend against this test for the primary detection of celiac disease due to concerns with its accuracy. It is inferior to the tests for anti-tTG and anti-DPG and should no longer be part of routine testing for celiac disease. The American Gastroenterology Association makes similar recommendations.

Although celiac disease is relatively common (about 1 in 100 to 150 people in the U.S. are thought to be affected), most people who have the disease are not aware of it. This is partly due to the fact that the symptoms are variable -- they may be mild or absent, even when intestinal damage is present on biopsied tissue. Since these symptoms may also be due to a variety of other conditions, a diagnosis of celiac disease may be missed or delayed, sometimes for years.

1. What is the difference between celiac disease and an allergy to wheat and other grains?

Allergies involve hypersensitivity reactions and the production of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies directed against grains such as wheat and rye. These antibodies may cause some symptoms similar to those caused by celiac disease, but they will only do so for a short time after you eat the food to which you are allergic. The reaction may be mild or severe, but it is limited and does not cause damage to the lining of your intestine the way that celiac disease does. If you feel that you may have a wheat or other grain allergy, talk to your health practitioner about getting tested for these allergen-specific IgE antibodies.

2. Can you outgrow or desensitize yourself to celiac disease?

No. Celiac disease does not go away. Once you have been diagnosed with celiac disease, you will need to follow a gluten-free diet for life. If you start eating gluten again, you will damage the lining of your intestines; it just may take awhile for the symptoms to come back.

3. Do I need to follow a gluten-free diet if I have been diagnosed with celiac disease but have never had any symptoms?

If you do have asymptomatic celiac disease, it is recommended that you follow a gluten-free diet. You will still have damaged villi in your intestines and you may have malabsorption problems that are causing silent conditions such as osteoporosis. If you have doubts about the accuracy of your diagnosis, you may want to work with your health practitioner to verify the findings.

4. Can I have oats in my diet?

This is somewhat controversial. Some experts feel that oats should be avoided by those with celiac disease while others believe that most people can tolerate small amounts. They feel that the proteins found in oats are not contributing significantly to celiac disease. This is something you should discuss with your health practitioner and a nutritionist.

5. How do I know what to eat and where can I get help?

Your health practitioner will have information for you on celiac disease. You can also visit the links listed at the end of this article for several organizations that have resources, including support groups.

6. Are there other ways to test for celiac disease?

Genetic tests that look for the markers that are strongly associated with celiac disease have recently become available. These tests look for the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) markers DQ2 and DQ8. A positive result does not diagnose celiac disease since about 30% of the general population also carry these markers but do not have the disease. However, almost all people with celiac disease are positive for DQ2 or DQ8, so a negative result can essentially rule out celiac disease in those individuals for whom results of other tests, including biopsy, are unclear. These tests are most useful for family members of individuals with the disease that fall into a high risk category and for those with other diagnostic test results that are inconclusive.

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Article Sources

NOTE: This article is based on research that utilizes the sources cited here as well as the collective experience of the Lab Tests Online Editorial Review Board. This article is periodically reviewed by the Editorial Board and may be updated as a result of the review. Any new sources cited will be added to the list and distinguished from the original sources used.

(Updated 2013 September 11). Testing for Celiac Disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. [On-line information]. Available online at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiactesting/index.aspx through http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov. Accessed July 2014.

What serologic assays are available to screen for celiac disease? ARUP Guide to Clinical Laboratory Testing Users Guide, FAQ [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.aruplab.com/guides/faq/articles/0015.1.jsp through http://www.aruplab.com.

Kaufman, S. (1995 November). Celiac Disease: A Guide for Children and Their Families. North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.naspgn.org/sub/celiac_disease.asp through http://www.naspgn.org.

(2006 May, Revised). What People with Celiac Disease Need to Know About Osteoporosis. From the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) [On-line information]. PDF available for download at http://www.niams.nih.gov/bone/hi/bowel/celiac.pdf through http://www.niams.nih.gov. Accessed 1/21/07.

Alessio Fasano (May 24, 2006). Celiac Disease in the Clinical Spotlight -- What's New and What's the Path Forward? Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/533251 through http://www.medscape.com. Accessed March 2007.

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Testing for Celiac Disease. Available online at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiactesting/index.htm#genetic through http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov. Accessed October 2009.

(2009 April). Testing for Celiac Disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases [On-line information]. Available online at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiactesting/index.htm through http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov. Accessed November 2010.

Mozes, A. (2010 September 27). Celiac Disease Seems to Be on the Rise, Mainly in Elderly: Study Blood markers for the disease rose from 1 in every 501 individuals in 1974 to 1 in 219 by 1989. MedlinePlus HealthDay [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_103757.html through http://www.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed November 2010.

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This article was last reviewed on September 30, 2014. | This article was last modified on February 24, 2015.

The review date indicates when the article was last reviewed from beginning to end to ensure that it reflects the most current science. A review may not require any modifications to the article, so the two dates may not always agree.

The modified date indicates that one or more changes were made to the article. Such changes may or may not result from a full review of the article, so the two dates may not always agree.